Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Zhang Jiuxiao burst into tears.
For real.
As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had seen plenty of formidable geniuses in his time, and he knew how fearsome they could be. Knowing that there was a natural gap between him and them, even if he was utterly crushed by their hands, he would at least still be able to accept it and swiftly recover from the mental trauma. But… to be pummeled and told to shut up by his own sword…
How was he supposed to accept something like that? His heart felt so pained that he could hardly breathe!
Was that still his weapon?
It was just a mere lecture; did it really have to betray him over something like that?
Compelled by his confusion, Zhang Jiuxiao released the seal on his hearing to hear what kind of amazing knowledge Zhang Xuan was lecturing about to make his sword willingly betray him. In just a few moments after releasing his hearing, his zhenqi had already begun moving according to the formula that the other party was explaining.
Zhang Jiuxiao was astounded by what he was hearing. This… What a formidable cultivation technique! It’s on par with the top-notch techniques of the Zhang Clan! Is it really fine for him to impart such a formidable technique so easily?
As an offspring of the Zhang Clan, he had seen much more than ordinary cultivators, so it was inevitable that he would have a sharp eye for cultivation techniques and the sort.
He could tell that there was no fluff in the other party’s lecture at all. Every single word was directed toward the crux of cultivation, words of wisdom in the truest sense. Just by assimilating the content of the lecture, he would be able to cultivate much easier and smoother than before. From that alone, it was already superior to most cultivation techniques out there.
As Zhang Jiuxiao’s eyes started to glaze, he quickly bit his lips to regain his rationality. This won’t do. I mustn’t continue listening to his lecture, or else I will be indebted to him and become his student…
While his state of mind was nothing compared to Zhang Xuan’s, it was still far superior to that of ordinary 7-star master teachers. On top of that, he was a significant distance away from Zhang Xuan as well. Thus, despite the formidable might of the Impartation of Heaven’s Will, he was still able to force himself to retain consciousness.
Forcefully suppressing his desire to continue listening to the other party’s lecture, he struggled out of the wall with some difficulty while contemplating on how he could ruin the other party’s lecture.
Zhang Jiuxiao found that he was unable to stand up by himself after struggling for a while, and coincidentally, a lady with a millstone bottom suddenly walked over at this moment. Thus, he strenuously stretched his hand toward to the lady and said, “Come over here and help me for a moment…”
He knew that the other party was his loyal fan, infatuated with him to a crazed degree. Putting aside helping him up, the other party could remain excited for days just by catching a single look of him.
Pah!
But instead of being helped up, Zhang Jiuxiao found his face welcoming the millstone bottom instead.
Sou!
Crushed by the millstone bottom, he was sent flying into the wall once more, and huge mouthfuls of blood spewed wildly from his mouth.
“Shut up. If I see you interrupting Zhang shi’s lecture again, I’ll pummel you whenever I see you on the streets!” The lady with the millstone bottom harrumphed coldly before walking away.
“…” Zhang Jiuxiao.
First, the betrayal of his weapon, and now, the betrayal of his most loyal fan. Just what kind of magic did Zhang Xuan cast to be able to capture their hearts so utterly?
Traumatized by the happenings, his mental fortitude collapsed in that instant. Unable to suppress himself any longer, his zhenqi began moving according to the formula described by Zhang Xuan.
At the same time, his wounded strength and aura also began recovering swiftly.
The more he cultivated, the more intricate he felt the matter was, and the more glazed his eyes became.
After an unknown period of time, Zhang Xuan waved his hand and said, “Alright, I’ll be stopping the lecture here today. If you have any doubts, feel free to approach me after class to clarify them.”
“Yes, Teacher!”
The ten thousand or so master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion bowed down one after another, submitting willingly to the young man before them.
Even though the young man had not lectured them for too long, there was no doubt that they had benefited greatly from his lesson. Through his teachings, their cultivation would surely soar in the near future.
Even Zhang Jiuxiao had bowed down together with the crowd without any hesitation.
“It’s over…” Seeing how the crowd was reacting, Pavilion Master Gou’s face collapsed. In an instant, he looked as if he had aged several centuries.
He had thought that with the ten thousand master teachers of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, they would at least be able to obstruct the other party. Yet, in just a single lecture, they had ended up becoming his students.
If only he had known that Zhang Xuan was so formidable, he would have never been so foolish as to speak up for Tian Qing!
“It’s your turn.”
Just as Pavilion Master Gou was feeling suffocated within, the young man’s voice sounded. Raising his gaze, he saw the other party staring right at Vice Pavilion Master Tian and him.
The first phase of pavilion crashing was to defeat all of the master teachers in the Master Teacher Pavilion, and currently, all of the other master teachers had become the other party’s students, leaving only Wu shi, Vice Pavilion Master Tian, and Pavilion Master Gou.
Considering that Wu shi had a close relationship with the other party, there was no way he would make a move. Thus, he and Vice Pavilion Master Tian were the only ones who remained.
Tossing aside all of the miscellaneous thoughts in his mind, Pavilion Master Gou exhaled deeply before stepping forward. “Since everything has developed to this point, I’ll be your opponent then!”
As he had already been humiliated, the embarrassment from having to make a move against a junior could not impede him any longer.
No matter what, he was a Leaving Aperture realm expert. While he had yet to undergo the Leaving Aperture Ordeal, his strength still far exceeded that of Vice Pavilion Master Tian and Wu shi.
As he made his way over toward Zhang Xuan, Pavilion Master Gou noticed that Vice Pavilion Master Tian seemed to be intending to join the battle as well, so he quickly shook his hand and harrumphed. “Tian Qing, you wait by the side and don’t make a move. Even if our Master Teacher Pavilion is crashed today, we mustn’t abandon our dignity!”
It was already embarrassing for a 7-star master teacher like him to make a move against a 6-star master teacher. If they had to go to the extent of ganging up on the latter on top of that, they would not be able to face anyone anymore.
“Yes!” A cold glint flashed across Tian Qing’s eyes as he stepped backward and lowered his head silently.
When Pavilion Master Gou was standing only ten meters away from Zhang Xuan, Wu shi secretly sent a telepathic message over to the latter. “Principal Zhang, even though Pavilion Master Gou hasn’t undergone the Leaving Aperture Ordeal yet, he still wields power far exceeding mine. You must be careful when facing him!”
He had taken into account everything that had happened over the past few days, and as unwilling he was to see Zhang Xuan crash the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion, he knew that the latter was justified in doing so. Furthermore, considering the latter’s identity, nothing could be allowed to happen to him!
“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.
The Leaving Aperture realm could be further divided into Quasi Leaving Aperture realm and True Leaving Aperture realm. Basically, Quasi Leaving Aperture referred to those who had already gained the ability to draw their Primordial Spirit out of their bodies but had yet to undergo the lightning ordeal.
Without undergoing the lightning ordeal, no matter how powerful one’s Primordial Spirit was, its strength would still be limited. It was like how Zhang Xuan could have never wielded such astounding power at just Saint 2-dan if he had not undergone the Saint Ascension Ordeal back then.
Hall Master Xing and Pavilion Master Gou were both at Quasi Leaving Aperture realm. As powerful as they were, there was still a gap between them and True Leaving Aperture realm primary stage experts.
Nevertheless, their strength was still plenty fearsome. They were already capable of adeptly controlling their environment and wielding it to their advantage, making it difficult for any opponent whose cultivation was beneath them to match them.
“Make your move!” Facing the strongest opponent that he had encountered other than Luo Chengxin, a hint of graveness surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s eyes.
Hula!
Without wasting his breath on words, Pavilion Master Gou raised his hand and thrust it forward forcefully.
His palm strike did not seem to be particularly powerful, but through the mystical capabilities of his Primordial Spirit, the space surrounding his palm strike became extremely viscous, making it difficult to dodge his attack.
Leaving Aperture realm cultivators are capable of controlling space to some degree, allowing them to hinder the movements of their enemies. If I had not learned Ancient Sage Qiu Wu’s Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, I would have been bound by that before I could do anything, Zhang Xuan remarked internally as he felt the changes in his surroundings.
As expected of the strongest fighting power within the Qingyuan Empire! Even without undergoing the lightning ordeal, their strength was still not something that a Saint 2-dan cultivator like Zhang Xuan could withstand.
Retreat! Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan stepped forcefully against the ground and leaped backward.
As long as Pavilion Master Gou had not reached True Leaving Aperture realm, the space that he could control would be severely limited. If Zhang Xuan could get out of the other party’s range, the other party’s technique would not be able to faze him.
“Do you think that you will be able to escape?” Sneering coldly, Pavilion Master Gou raised his hand and closed it forcefully. In the following moment, it felt as if the space within the room had abruptly caved in, and the momentum of Zhang Xuan’s retreat was immediately stalled.
Battle Technique: Dominion of the Roaring Tiger!
Even though it was only an ordinary Saint low-tier battle technique, the strength that it displayed was comparable to a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique in Pavilion Master Gou’s hands.
Tzzzzzzz!
A thin sheet of zhenqi revolved relentlessly in the surroundings, causing the air to become even more viscous than before.
Dragged back by that thin sheet of zhenqi, Zhang Xuan’s speed plummeted once more.
With his strength, he should have been able to cover tens of meters within a single breath. Yet, under the effects of Pavilion Master Gou’s multiple means, he could not even retreat half a meter within the same period of time.
“As expected of the head of the Qingyuan Empire Master Teacher Pavilion…” Zhang Xuan remarked as he decisively halted his retreat. The following instant, his body blurred slightly before abruptly vanishing from the spot.
“What?” Seeing the other party vanish right before him, Pavilion Master Gou narrowed his eyes in astonishment. Before he could react, a figure suddenly materialized in front of him, and a palm flew forcefully toward his chest.
Zhang Xuan had decisively abandoned his retreat, choosing to use the momentum of the Dominion of the Roaring Tiger to charge toward him instead!
However, this was nothing to worry about. After all, the gap between them was simply so huge that it could not be bridged by tactics alone.
“Not a bad maneuver at all! If it had been anyone else, it just might have worked. However, it’s a pity that you are going up against a Leaving Aperture realm cultivator!” Sneering coldly, a brilliant ray of light burst from Pavilion Master Gou’s glabella before a Primordial Spirit drifted out into the air.
The next moment, Zhang Xuan felt as if his entire body had been bound. Even though his palm was just half a meter away from the other party, it was as if there was a world standing in between that half a meter. No matter how he pushed forward, his palm just would not advance any further.
Is this the strength of a Leaving Aperture realm expert? Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly together.
Even though he had learned the Heavenly Art of Dimension Unravel, granting him some control over space, it was still insufficient for him to go head to head against an opponent as powerful as Pavilion Master Gou.
It looks like this is my limit! Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.
Upon gaining a rough gauge of how powerful he was at the moment, he decided to get serious. In an instant, all the acupoints throughout his body burst open, and an overwhelming surge of zhenqi burst forth. The zhenqi swiftly morphed into thousands of palms superimposed upon one another before falling upon Pavilion Master Gou.
“Thousand Hands Rulai Palm? How can this technique be so powerful?”
“It seems like he has made some alterations to it, or else it couldn’t possibly wield such power…”
Recognizing the move that Zhang Xuan was executing, the master teachers in the area were stunned.
The Thousand Hands Rulai Palm was a Saint intermediate-tier battle technique. While it allowed one to strike hundreds of palms consecutively, each individual palm strike was not that powerful due to the dispersion of energy. Against a stronger opponent, it would only be effective as a distraction.
However, this limitation did not seem to apply to Zhang Xuan at all. Every single palm within his thousands of palms was filled with devastating might that threatened to smash apart everything within its way. Even a Primordial Spirit realm pinnacle expert would have been smashed into minced meat before it!
“Just how much zhenqi must he have to execute so many palms simultaneously?” a master teacher within the crowd exclaimed in shock.
Those words left the master teachers widening their eyes in shock as they swiftly made calculations in their minds. The unbelievable conclusion that they arrived at caused them to gulp a mouthful of saliva down their hoarse throats.
Indeed. To be able to execute thousands of palms with each palm strike wielding such devastating might… even if they were to learn this battle technique as well, there was no way that they would have enough zhenqi to successfully execute it.
Even if they sapped every last droplet of zhenqi from their bodies, they would not even be able to execute a quarter of the battle technique.
Siila!
Under the relentless waves of devastating palm strikes, the seals that Pavilion Master Gou had cast over the surrounding space were swiftly torn into shreds.
Following which, with a powerful leap, Zhang Xuan rose high into the air before abruptly turning 180-degrees and diving downward 1 , quickly accelerating. At the same time, he pulled his palm backward and thrust it forward powerfully.
Boom!
An immense palm print formed in front of Zhang Xuan’s hand.
“T-this! Could it be…”
Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Jiuxiao face paled in shock as he turned to a nearby master teacher and asked anxiously, “Do you remember the legendary palm art that descends from the heavens?”
“I don’t,” replied the master teacher curtly.
“…” Zhang Jiuxiao.
